Daniel Craig’s edgy and gritty version of James Bond is widely considered to be one of the most popular interpretations of the suave British spy. Following the more traditional and intentionally witty portrayal by Pierce Brosnan, Craig took over in 2006 with his first film in the Bond franchise, Casino Royale, which went on to become a massive hit at the box office.
The Knives Out actor’s 2nd James Bond film, Quantum Of Solace, had quite the opposite effect on audiences and critics. With expectations being sky high for the star to take the character one step higher after Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace fell short on many counts. Yet, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have no regrets to date, about the film.
James Bond Producers Took The Failure Of Quantum Of Solace In Their Stride
After 5 films in the James Bond franchise, Hollywood star Daniel Craig is arguably one of the most successful actors to have portrayed the stylish and iconic secret agent. While Casino Royale and Skyfall took top honors among critics and fans, Craig’s second effort as James Bond in Quantum Of Solace did not fare well at the box office. The film, which also starred Jeffery Wright who later played Inspector Gordon in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, failed to engage viewers. But producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson did not regret their decision to make the movie. Speaking to Slash Film, Broccoli said,
“I’m really proud of the movie. I think it’s part of the whole evolution of Bond. And I think after Casino Royale, when he shuts down emotionally, the next step was going out for revenge. I think the story of that film is that revenge is an empty challenge. You don’t get any benefit from revenge. So I think it’s important in the whole history of the evolution of this character. I’m very proud of it for sure.”
Another issue that posed a problem for the James Bond actor and the film, was the 2007 Writers Strike which was instrumental in delaying the production and filming, thereby leading to many challenges and issues.
Daniel Craig Was Forced To Step In As Writer For Quantum Of Solace
While Daniel Craig’s Quantum of Solace is regarded as the weakest of the actor’s James Bond movies, the film went through its fair share of obstacles that affected many aspects of the filming and production. With the Hollywood Strike of 2007 coinciding exactly with the filming of the 2nd James Bond installment from the Craig era, producer Barbara Broccoli had to endure a sticky situation when 3 of the writers for Quantum of Solace turned in their papers to go on strike.
With a half-baked script that was nowhere near complete and no writer willing to work, Broccoli turned to her lead actor Daniel Craig to step in and complete the script despite the star not having any prior experience in the writing department. The Cowboys and Aliens actor remembered the challenging time and told NME,
“There was me trying to rewrite scenes – and a writer I am not. Me and Mark Forster were the ones allowed to do it. The rules were that you couldn’t employ anyone as a writer, but the actor and director could work on scenes together. We were stuffed.”
There were also speculations that Craig’s version of the script, which had many significant changes from the original script written by Paul Haggis, could have resulted in Quantum Of Solace not being received well at the box office. But this ultimately was not considered to be the main reason behind the film’s failure.
Quantum Of Solace is available for streaming on Amazon Video.
Source: Slash Film
